The Job Offer
by Girl-of-Geekery
Summary: Slight AU of Singled Out, about the team finding out about Tony's job offer. No Slash. No swearing. Oneshot.


**This a little AU tag to Singled Out. I thought someone should have found out about Tony's job offer, so here it is. Hope you like it!**

**Discalimer: I do not own it!!**

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The case successfully finished and the victim on the road to recovery eased the agents into a relaxed conversation in the bullpen, the familiar banter between the agents in full swing.

"Oh come on, McGee! You think Sci-Fi shows _good _movies?!" Tony asked.

"Sometimes. Beetle Juice was good."

"Okay, yeah, that was a good one. But the rest? I mean it's just a combination of bad acting, bad scripts, bad special effects, and---."

"Not all of them," McGee argued, cutting him off.

Gibbs looked up and glanced between the two arguing, of course if you said they were arguing they would deny it. He spared the familiar banter a smirk, taking a sip of his coffee. Surprising as it sounded, even to his own ears, but it was good to hear it again. For the most part.

Ziva spared a curious glance at Gibbs, surprised that he hadn't told the pair of agents to shut up by now. Shrugging it off, she went back to her report, ignoring the 'argument' for the most part. She had gotten quite good at it after Gibbs hadn't been around to tell them to stuff a sock in it when they got out of hand. She had even ended up threatening them with her knife a handful of times out of annoyance.

"Oh, Probie, my poor deprived Probie." Tony said with a shake of his head and McGee narrowed his eyes at him. "We really need to broaden your horizons. It obvious you need to see some real movies. Like James Bond with Sean Connery or maybe Indian Jones with Harrison Ford. Oh! How about National Treasure with Nicolas Cage?" He suggested, excitement in his voice. "Now those were some great flicks! I could make you a list." Tony said flashing him a true DiNozzo grin.

McGee shook his head, "You know I didn't say I've only seen movies on Sci-Fi. I've seen other movies too."

"Oh, really? And don't tell me the sound of music." he said.

Ziva opened her mouth and Tony instantly turned to her.

"Remember what I said? One note, just one, and I will smack you silly."

"Ha! You are going to slap me? Try it and you are a beaten man, Tony."

"Dead." McGee corrected.

"Either works." She replied, shrugging.

Gibbs, once again, glanced up at the banter, but said nothing, letting the three continue to argue about movies and who planned to kill who. No one noticed the director coming into the squad room.

"Agent DiNozzo." she said, stopping in front of said agent's desk.

"Yes, Director?" he asked looking up, smile still in place from the threat Ziva had to McGee for daring to say she must like 'chick flicks'.

"Have you made your decision?" she asked.

"What decision?" he asked, then, her words hitting home, his eyes widened and he jumped to his feet."Oh! That decision.I---I----Uh----Yeah, I did."

He opened the top right drawer, pulled out a folder, and handed it to her.

"You turned it down?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, Director." he replied, flushing red as he had just noticed his team mates watching them.

"Well, Tony, I must say, I applaud your decision."

"You.....do? But I turned it down." He said, shocked.

"I know. To get where I am, my career has been on the fast track my whole life. And I can honestly say, despite having the positon I do now, I wish I had taken things a little slower." She said, giving him a true smile.

"Either of you care to tell me what you're talking about?" Gibbs questioned the pair, taking off his glasses and laying them on his desk.

"I believe that it's Tony's obligation to tell you." Jenny said, heading back to her office. Tony stared after, gaping.

"Well, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked, impenitently.

Tony shook his head, snapping out of thoughts "Oh well, we....I mean.....she....she...."

"Some time today, DiNozzo." Gibbs huffed, getting him back on track.

"I was offered a higher position on another team." he blurted out, having cracked under Gibbs intense stare.

"Who's team? Gibbs asked. He was, he had to admit, a little surprised. Not that Tony was offered a higher position, Tony deserved it. He was a fine agent and he had promise, which he had proven when he managed to hold the team together during Gibbs' 'retirement'. No, what surprised him was that he had actually turned down the position. DiNozzo had never stayed anywhere longer than two years, he had already worked at NCIS for five years, a record for him.

"Well...it was......my team." Tony explained, still flushing red.

"Your team?" Ziva asked.

"Yeah, Director Shepard offered me a leading position." Tony admitted, averting his eyes from his partner and boss.

"Where?" McGee asked, surprised.

"Rota, Spain." Tony replied.

"Why didn't you take it, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked.

"I.....I honestly don't know." he sighed.

Okay, now that was a huge lie. Gibbs hated it when his people lied to him.

"Tony, with me." Gibbs said standing up and heading to the elevator. He heard Tony sigh as he followed him, but payed it no mind. They both stayed silent while the elevator started and Gibbs hit the stop switch.

"Didn't I teach you not to lie to me?" Gibbs asked, turning to face his senior field agent.

"Lie?" Tony asked.

Gibbs reached over and headslaped him.

"Right is I....I didn't want to leave."

"I figured Spain, warm weather, the girls, leading your own team, being called boss." Gibbs pointed out.

"Well, all those things certainly had their appeal. And I definitely considered it, but I decided to stay, okay?"

"Why? And I want a better answer then I didn't want to leave." Gibbs growled.

"Do you want me to leave?" Tony asked, leaning towards the elevator doors to prove his point.

"Didn't say that. I just want to know why you passed up the promotion of a lifetime."

"I told you I didn't want to leave," he said and then hurried on when he saw Gibbs start to lose his patience, "I didn't want to leave the team. I like _this _team, I like having my friends around, I like my apartment, my job, and where I'm at right now.I didn't.....didn't want to lose it. Sure I had allot to gain, but I had allot to lose, too."

Gibbs just stared at him, there was not hint of deception or a lie in his eyes, only the truth. Tony eyed him warily, but Gibbs just smirked. "Good choice, DiNozzo." he said, flipping the switch, starting up the elevator again.

"Hey boss, can I ask question?" Tony asked, after a minute of scilence as they waited for the doors to open.

"Just did, DiNozzo."

"Oh...well, in that case, can I ask another question?"

"Shoot." Gibbs said, smirking.

"When I asked you if you really wanted me to leave, I never did a get a real answer. Did you really want me to leave, boss?" he asked, his tone slightly hurt.

Gibbs sighed, "No, Tony, I didn't." He admitted.

"So you wanted me to stay?" Tony asked, hopeful now, "Are you saying......you would've missed me?" he asked.

Gibbs, his back to Tony now, smirked.

"Aw com'on Gibbs. It's just a few simple words." Tony pleaded. He didn't really expect anything. Gibbs wasn't a touchy-feely share his feelings kinda a guy. And Tony knew no matter how hard he pushed he wouldn't get an answer, but pushing it was what he loved about the job. So long as he didn't push Gibbs too far.

The doors to the elevator opened to reveal the squad room and Gibbs exited, stopping part way through the doors and turning back to Tony. He tapped Tony's cheek just like he had done all those years ago after the Atlas case.

"Yeah, DiNozzo, I would have missed you." he said quietly.

Tony's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open slightly at having successfully gotten such a comment from his boss. Gibbs, however, just smirked and stepped the rest of the way out, leaving his agent to stare after him.

The doors dinged, signaling they were starting to close, Tony reached out stopping them and quickly hurried out and back into the squad room. Gibbs was already at his desk as if nothing had ever happened and his partners were now throwing him curious and even concerned them both another DiNozzo smile, he slipped back behind his desk.

"So Probie, what is this what movies did you say you've seen?" he asked, slipping back into the conversation.

McGee raised his eyebrows, confused, but proceeded to list of the titles of some of the movies he had seen, Tony making comments on each one and Ziva adding her two cents to the conversation.

Glancing at Gibbs once, he saw his ex-marine boss watching the three of the them. They shared a smirk before Gibbs went back to his files and Tony returned his attention to Ziva trying to explain how the assassin tactic in some movie she had seen was wrong and the proper way to do it.

Smirking at the frightened look on McGee's face, Tony leaned back in his chair, arms resting behind his head. Yeah, he had definitely made the right choice.

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**Again hoped you liked it and please review.**

**Now the line where Jenny was talking about her carrer 'being on the fast track' was taken from the also the line about Tony 'loving to push on the job' was taken from the episode Missing. I usually try to make it all my own dialog, but those two bits seemed to fit so well into the story. Anyway, just a little disclaimer, don't want to get sued ya' know. (Although what are they gonna get? I'm broke, so it wouldn't really do 'em much good)**


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